Steve Young in dwarf pine ridges at Sam's Point in the Shawangunk Mountains

Laura J. Lehtonen

System:TerrestrialSubSystem:Barrens And Woodlands

State Protection:
Not Listed
Federal Protection:
Not Listed

State Rarity Rank:S1

A State Rarity Rank of S1 means: Typically 5 or fewer occurrences, very few remaining individuals, acres, or miles of stream, or some factor of its biology makes it especially vulnerable in New York State.

Global Rarity Rank:G1G2

A Global Rarity Rank of G1G2 means: Critically Imperiled or Imperiled globally - At very high or high risk of extinction due to rarity or other factors; typically 20 or fewer populations or locations in the world, very few individuals, very restricted range, few remaining acres (or miles of stream), and/or steep declines. More information is needed to assign a single conservation status.

Did you know?
Dwarf pine ridges are a unique and globally rare natural community that are only known from the the Northern Shawangunk Mountains. The community is dominated by dwarf individuals of pitch pine, which require fire to regenerate. Pitch pine cones are serotinous, which means they require fire to open. Unlike other pine cones, which open in the fall and distribute seeds, pitch pine cones stay closed until heat from fire opens the them and distributes the seeds. The fire creates an excellent bed of nutrient-rich soil for the seeds to germinate. Pitch pines are adapted to fire in other ways as well. Even though large branches may die in a fire, their thick trunk survives and produces new branches.

This community is restricted to outcrops of Shawangunk Conglomerate at Sam's Point in the Northern Shawangunk Mountains in Ulster County. Sam's Point appears to be the only occurrence of dwarf pine ridges, as described by New York Natural Heritage (Edinger et al. 2002), in the world.